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Weekend Wonders: Cory Goodrich - David Nyro - Brufield - SLØTFACE

Background promo - Grappel/Cohen Recording Endowment winner Cory Goodrich pays tribute to the roots of country music and the Carter Family with her album, Wildwood Flower. Songs of yesterday and today are woven together with the Appalachian autoharp as the central uniting factor. Featuring five different harps, guitar, banjo, and mandolin, this acoustic set, produced by Malcolm Ruhl, explores the past and the future of traditional folk.

Cory has been seen on stages across the country in shows like Ragtime, Bridges of Madison County and Ring of Fire, where her portrayal of June Carter Cash earned her a coveted Jeff award and sparked her interest in the autoharp.

Born in WIlmington, Delaware and raised in Michigan, Cory Goodrich is a Jeff Award winning actress for her roles as Mother in Drury Lane Oakbrook’s acclaimed production of Ragtime, and as June Carter Cash in the Jeff nominated Johnny Cash revue, Ring of Fire at Mercury Theater Chicago, where she was also seen as Alice in The Addams Family, and Alma in The Christmas Schooner. Coming this fall, Cory will play Carol Brady in the hilarious war between the Partridges and the Bradys in The Bardy Bunch.

Cory recently returned from the first regional production of he Bridges of Madison County, at Arkansas Rep. She has played Pepa in the midwest premiere of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown at Theatre at the Center, Seussical the Musical at Chicago Shakespeare on Navy Pier and before that as Sr. Margaretta in The Sound of Music at Lyric Opera, Chicago. A five time Jeff nominee, Cory has performed in productions at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, Chicago Shakespeare, Theatre at the Center, Ravinia, Candlelight and Drury Lane. A Graduate of Michigan State University, she is also a singer/songwriter, producer, writer, and mother of two,children's composer with her two award winning CDs, Hush and Wiggly Toes. Website here.

'Far Side of Lovin' You' is the first of twelve songs on 'Wildwood Flower'. It's an album that explores classic country and folk songs along with some new material, doing so with superb musicianship and Cory's outstanding vocals. Indeed her vocals give the collection it's identity, so that old standards take on a different feel, albeit whilst remaining true to their original roots.

Background - With his powerful music video for “Stand,”soulful singer/songwriter David Nyro sings from the heart about the tragic Syrian refugee crisis. A prolific writer whose retro pop has earned him comparisons to Jackson Browne and Don Henley, Nyro calls “Stand” a determined plea for action and an attempt to answer the difficult questions surrounding the conflict in Syria: “How many children must wash up on a beach? How many millions of lives must be torn asunder? How many hundreds of thousands must die before we do something?”

According to Nyro, he saw a tweet by well-known humanitarian Dr. Alison Thompsonshortly after recording “Stand.” Thompson, who has courageously volunteered her humanitarian services to help refugees for more than 22 years, tweeted about not standing for all the violence and heartbreak in Syria. She insisted that “we need to stand up for the refugees.” Thompson is also an acclaimed filmmaker, with Sean Penn presenting her award-winning film, The Third Wave: A Volunteer Story.

Compelled to let Thompson know about “Stand,” Nyro asked if she wanted to hear it. She did, and decided to put “Stand” in a new documentary she is making on the refugee crisis. Thompson also granted Nyro permission to use some of their unused footage and stills of the refugees that videographers Ian Stevens and Zack Bivins (Amphora Media) incorporated in the video for "Stand."

Always the optimist, Nyro calls the Syrian civil war and resulting refugee crisis a “chance for compassion, redemption, transformation, and amazing grace.” He admits that while “Stand” was “born out of pain,” he hopes it can provide an opportunity for “awareness, change, and peace.” Websitehere.

Our second David Nyro feature this year, this time with 'Stand' a poignant song to say the least. It's also one of those music videos that adds a vital dimension to the song. As for the song itself, it's passion and concern for one particular problem mankind faces, is genuine and heartfelt!

Background - Australian based pop rockers Brufield have had a busy 3 years cementing their reputation as one of Perth’s must see bands. Fusing captivating melodies with powerfully emotive vocal delivery, Brufield take audiences on a rollercoaster ride of emotion from the lows of their brooding ballads to the highs of their sparkling pop anthems getting even the most skeptical of pundits tapping their feet!

The band are excited to release their much anticipated new single, ‘Goodbye’. The track is being launched through The A&R Department and is being backed by a national tour and a short tour run in the UK and Ireland. In June 2015 the band released their debut EP, Cracked, which was very well received by music press, scoring 4/5 stars with themusic.com.au.

In November 2015 the band released the title single from the EP, 'Cracked', along with a poignant music clip. This clip attracted a lot of attention due to its controversial content. January 2016 saw Brufield launch their ambitious double A-side single. This double single explored the light and the darkside of Brufield. The release was met with widespread acclaim, with AMNplify dubbing the band as 'One of the bands to watch in 2016'. “Goodbye” by Brufield will be released 30th of September 2016. Website here.

'Goodbye' has all the content to expect from an indie rock song, where the band really do want to stand out in the crowd. Melody and power combine to give us a three minute plus blast of quality pop'n'rock.

Background - SLØTFACE lift the lid on new single ‘Bright Lights’ – a melancholy mood-brood signaling the release of forthcoming EP ‘Empire Records’ on November 18 via Propeller Recordings. It showcases a more mature sound for the Norwegian four-piece – with a bass line that harks back to ultimate 90's alternative bands, a la The Pixies – while retaining their signature pop-punk sheen.

“Bright Lights is about escaping from things that are going on in your own head and in society in general by distracting yourself, especially from the minor and major personal issues we all have,” explains vocalist Haley Shea. “It’s about a desire for escape, and a break from dealing with things that might seem too hard.

“We recorded it at Ocean Sounds in Norway – the most beautiful studio in the world – with our awesome producer, Dan Austin, late last year. The environment and stormy weather when we were recording really helped set the mood for what is a quite melancholy, emo track,” she says.

Also hosting jive cut ‘Take Me Dancing’ – which was recently afforded a fittingly physical Video – new EP ‘Empire Records’ follows the band’s acclaimed four-track debut, with its title track ‘Sponge State’ clocking more than 1000 plays across international radio, including weekly spins from Annie Mac, Huw Stephens and Phil Taggart on BBC Radio 1 and a playlist add at triple j in Australia.

'Bright Lights' suggests the November EP will be a good one. The band have an intensity with this song, where emotions seemingly could boil over quite easily. The music drives the song along adding to the sense of potential melodrama, punk theatre I might suggest...